The Deletion of the Lectures on Faith

On this day in Mormon History 95 years ago, a new edition of the LDS Doctrine and Covenants was accepted as the newest version of the scripture.  Perhaps most remarkable about this new 1921 version is not what it contained, but rather what it no longer contained. 

Since the first publication of the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835 (not including the 1833 Book of Commandments), the book contained both the doctrine and the covenants.  The “doctrine” section was the Lectures on Faith, which were a series of 7 lectures given to the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, and the “covenants” section contained the revelations given through Joseph Smith up to 1835.  In 1844, another edition of the Doctrine and Covenants was printed, which contained all the revelations received up to that point.  This edition also contained the “doctrine” portion, and though Joseph Smith approved a version prior to his death in June of 1844, this edition did not print until later that year.  Editions were produced over the next 50 years, and they all contained the doctrine portion of the book.  In 1921, a church committee edited and approved the first version where the Lectures on Faith were deleted.

In any case, I have found these lectures immensely valuable and I consider them a necessary part of my studies into the nature of God and the developing of faith.

You can purchase the lectures, but free versions can be found online as well.  If you want a copy, let me know and I can email a pdf version.